


Flame Recruit Survival Guide

by strange_index



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, I hope, Light Angst, Male Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), No Spoilers, Post-Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, Post-Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood, Specific Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), crucify me, how npcs see the wol, i started the immortal flames training missions late, it’s not, no beta we die like the ascian homeworld, technically no spoilers from shadowbringers tho, unless knowing zenos stalks the wol is spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:22:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26642122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strange_index/pseuds/strange_index
Summary: Making the Warrior of Light and Darkness—the Guardian of the Source and Savior of the First—a commander of a Flame squadron was probably one of the biggest mistakes the Immortal Flames had ever put to paper. And they allowed the Crystal Braves to be infiltrated and consumed by a terrorist cell.Whattup, I’m back on my bullshit a whole day later.So, like, i did the Flame recruit quests after Shadowbringers... and I’ve got residual angst from Shadowbringers...Join me on this journey of seeing my chaotic-himbo WoL thru the eyes of his recruits!Or don’t... but please do, he’s lonely ever since our husband died...
Relationships: Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV) & Original Character(s), Zenos yae Galvus/Warrior of Light (implied)
Kudos: 7





	Flame Recruit Survival Guide

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, yeah, before i forget, cuz i am currently forgetting: i put like three relationship types in the tags cuz two of the recruits kinda have a crush on my WoL at the start. 
> 
> It’s really just some hero worship, but i dont wanna blue-ball anybody by being a troll or surprise anyone if i pick up those relationships as the winds take me.
> 
> Also, my WoL kinda has this weird unrequited on Zenos’ side thing that might feature in future chapters depending on those winds, so lemme know if that’s a “Go” on shipping and i’ll check the sails. 
> 
> TL:DR; himbo WoL remarkably doesnt bone his students. Yet.

Making the Warrior of Light and Darkness—the Guardian of the Source and Savior of the First—a commander of a Flame squadron was probably one of the biggest mistakes the Immortal Flames had ever put to paper. And they allowed the Crystal Braves to be infiltrated and consumed by a terrorist cell. Let’s take a look at the facts:

_Um’bra Lumen is a terrible dresser._

The last thing the newest Flame recruits expect is to be told the legendary Warrior of Light, Champion of Ul’dah, is going to be their new squad leader. All manner of gossip was flying about, from sources both reputable and not, and the first three recruits were excitedly sharing their hopeful guesses as to how the seldom-seen Warrior must look.

“I heard he’s massive! Must be, since he’s apparently a Paladin and they carry those huge swords and shields,” a large Roegadyn male proudly shared.

He was a Warrior himself (well, a Marauder, at least) and he knew only the bravest and strongest of heroes would pick up the title of ‘Party Shield’. “He’s gotta be decked out in the shiniest armor there is!”

“Please,” says a female Hyur, rolling her eyes. “There are small Paladins, you know. Anyway, that argument is moot when you consider that the Warrior is known to ‘dance across the battlefield’. I’ve heard they have even leapt across worlds to reach their comrades in need! They are obviously a Dancer, dressed in the lightest leather armor to be that fast.”

She lets out a heartfelt sigh, clearly picturing the ‘lightest’ leather armor one can dance in (possibly verging on indecent).

“No, no, no!” The only Lalafell cried out, startling his taller fellow recruits. His eyes were wide with a suspicious gleam, one out of place in his youthful face.

“I’ve heard the Warrior is a ‘shield’, yes; and that they are an elegant sight in battle, a ‘dancer of death, even! But, but, but! The real secret is that the powerful and graceful Warrior of Light is actually: a woman!”

He clasped his hands over his heart in a dramatic swoon. “A beauty with a dark history of misfortune in romance! I’ve heard they have long hair that shines like a dark blue sky at twilight and slender legs, with bewitching lavender eyes and sharp fangs. All of her enemies fall by her hand or beg at her feet for a chance of walking in her shadow! Who else could so enthrall the Mad Prince of Garlemald: Zenos yae Galvus, himself!”

Caught off-guard by their Lalafell comrade’s fervor, the other two Flame recruits glanced at each other in commiseration: he was clearly smitten by the rumors alone! Shaking their heads, both silently agreed to do their utmost to protect their new commander’s virtue, no matter their gender.

But, they were still no closer to discerning the Warrior’s appearance than before they started, due in no small part to the fact that none of them had ever seen the hero in person. So what exactly did their esteemed new commander look like?

Just as they were once again quiet and pondering their original question, the Flame Corporal arrived at the barracks and loudly announced, “Alright, recruits, line up!”

The man, a massive Roegadyn in his own right, stood in front of the doorway, blocking their view of whoever was behind him. “The Warrior of Light is here to review your applications and, if you’re lucky, approve you for service in his first squad.” He turned to the person behind him as the recruits internally screamed with the rush of new information.

The Lalafell noticeably deflated. _‘His’ first squad?! I suppose they aren’t a woman then..._

The Hyur did a little dance where she stood. _I’ve never seen a male Dancer before! Ah, I hope he’s wearing a Dancer’s uniform..._

The Roegadyn puffed out his chest. _THE Warrior of Light! Gods, I hope he chooses me, we could compare weight training!_

“After you, sir,” said the Flame Corporal suddenly, startling the recruits out of their thoughts.

“Come on, bro, drop the ‘sir’. I’m halfway retired as it is.” A rough, low voice came from the beyond doorway and marked the hero’s approach.

To say the recruits were stunned was an understatement... The Warrior of Light was a short man, no taller than 5 feet, and entirely swamped in black.

It was easy now, with the real deal standing in front of them, to compare and contrast the rumors they’d heard: he was short and muscled, his shoulders stretching the fabric of the foreign military jacket and his thighs creaking in the leather of his thigh-high boots; he did indeed have piercing lavender eyes, thought they were somber and humorless rather than bewitching at the moment; and finally, his hair was hidden beneath a tall ‘cake-shaped’ hat, reminiscent of a clergy member accustomed to leading a religious service, with a short tail of fabric at the back trailing to his neck.

But... contrasting this elegant and almost mournful image of some kind of militaristic nun were his legs! Completely encased in form-fitting leather boots with sharp two inch heels, his legs looked like the sin to his virtuous ‘frontlines nun’ upper half. _And was it truly within regulation to have briefs that short while on duty!_

Two out of three of the recruits was struck dumb at the sight of their legendary new commander marching in decked in, essentially, an overcoat and panties.

However, their Roegadyn comrade was clearly still in possession of his vocal faculties. “Uh, Commander, sir,” he asked, “don’t you get cold on missions with your legs exposed?”

The Hyur and Lalafell snapped their jaws shut and whipped around to stare at him. There... there’s no way anybody could ask such a suggestive question without a drop of innuendo. But a look at their comrade’s face revealed only genuine curiosity. The two hazarded a glance at the Warrior of Light, expecting a cutting putdown from those sharp teeth and black-painted lips.

To their utter bafflement, the Warrior threw back their head and barked out a hoarse laugh. The two found themselves spellbound by the transformation: an indulgent smile and eyes less dim than before, sparkling slightly with amusement. This must be the legendary charm that bewitched the Mad Prince and melted the icy walls of the isolationist Ishgardians.

His laughter ended in a particularly unattractive snort that had the Hyur and Lalafell recruits wincing in sympathetic pain for the Warrior’s throat.

He waved a black-gloved hand dismissively. “Sorry, that was just fuckin’ hilarious. You look like my buffalo when he’s inspecting something. Gods, I needed a good laugh.”

He heaves out a sigh of contentment before gesturing to his legs. “I’m actually wearing full plate armor, but through the use of glamour I can appear like I’m wearing nothing at all.” At this, he smirked and wiggled his brows in one of the most ridiculously exaggerated ways the Hyur had ever seen, causing her to start snickering uncontrollably.

The Warrior’s smirk softened to a more subdued but genuine smile. He explained further, “I worked really hard on this body. I know how good I look in leather. I figure it’s only nice to let my enemies get a look at the divine before I send them to the Fury.” His eyes hardened again to that somber dullness, as if the warm laughter they shared couldn’t chase away the chill for long. “Use every part of yourself as a weapon. Your enemies will.”

The recruits were quiet, suddenly reminded of the many stories of battles fought and won feature the great hero, Chosen by Hydaelyn... and the many hundreds that fought and died alongside them while the Warrior himself remained.

The Roegadyn recruit cleared his throat and looked down, nervous. “Thank you for explaining, sir. I didn’t mean to pry.”

Blinking, the Warrior seemed to come back to himself, his former air of distance back in place like the impenetrable armor he was likely wearing, now disguised as what the recruits now assumed was gaudy mourning clothes. “No worries, man, it was a good question.” He turned to the table with their enlistment forms. “I won’t mind answering any more questions you come up with in the days to come.”

The room was quiet as the Warrior of Light shuffled through papers, occasionally making marks with a quill.

Suddenly: “Wait! Sir?! Does that mean I can be part of your squad?!”

The Roegadyn was beaming when the Warrior—no, his commander turned back to address the recruits with a small smirk. “Well, duh. Who else is gonna educate you on glamours? Every tank should steal the show on the battlefield, let’s the healers know who to focus on.”

The Roegadyn pumped both his fists in the air, ecstatic, as the Hyur rolled her eyes beside him. _Honestly, so excited when two other recruits are awaiting their verdict_ , she thought glumly. Though she could understand the excitement, she was even happy for him. She just hoped she could also pass the muster, if the Warrior was looking for loud people like this guy...

“Wait a minute! You approved him just like that?!”

Everyone’s attention snapped to the disgruntled Lalafell recruit. He was fuming mad! How could his hero allow an ill-mannered brute like that on his team?! “Commander, you need someone that won’t get distracted by your beautiful legs on your team watching your back!”

Again with the sudden and uncomfortable silence.

The Hyur dropped to one knee, unable to contain her laughter. Flailing his arms, the Lalafell shouted, “Don’t laugh! I-I misspoke is all! But, but, but! I still meant what I meant: you need someone to watch your back, a strong and capable and mature someone!” His round face was flaming red as he sputtered out his explanation.

The Roegadyn only managed to look a vague mix of confused and indignant. “I wasn’t gonna stare at his legs... I thought he had some secret training to resist cold temperatures,” he muttered sullenly.

That hoarse barking laughter rang out for the second time that day. The Warrior was bent over the desk, wheezing. On the other hand, the Hyur was shakily getting back to her feet, wiping tears from her eyes, as her peals of laughter finally subsided.

The Warrior managed to turn back to the recruits, two still undecided, and level a knowing smirk at the Lalafell. “You’re a little asshole, aren’t you?”

The Lalafell’s mouth dropped open as his expression took on a despairing look.

Shaking his head, the Warrior let out another chuckle. “Don’t worry, it’s hilarious. Keep that energy. People still get surprised when a Lalafell talks back, even thought we have all of Ul’dah as an example of just how cutthroat Lalafell can be. Use your looks to your advantage and get your enemies when they least expect it.”

The Warrior’s smirk became just a bit proud towards the end of his lesson. It made the Lalafell’s chest tight with admiration.

Watching their exchange, the Hyur sighed. _I guess this makes me the odd one out... I supposed it would be less awkward for me to just excuse myself—_

“Anyway, you don’t gotta get your tiny shorts in a twist, I approved all of you.”

—what.

“What?!”

She didn’t even realize she’d spoken aloud until everyone was staring at her. “Eh,” she straightened up, “I mean, thank you, sir.” She saluted him and stood at attention, hopefully masking her nerves. She felt she didn’t do too good a job of it when the Warrior continued to stare at her, his eyes sharp again.

“Do you wanna know why I approved you?” His smirk had made a complete 180 to that soft, genuine smile again.

Clearing her throat, she nodded. “I would appreciate that, sir.”

“You got your shit together the fastest.”

Silence.

“Is... is that it, sir?”

“Basically. ‘Cause I dunno shit about leading squad, but I know how to put together a party. And I’m gonna need somebody to,” he points to the Lalafell, “stir shit up,” he moves on to the Roegadyn, “tank that aggro,” finally his pointer lands on the Hyur, “and size up the situation.”

“You look like you’ve got a good grasp of that very rare and coveted skill all adventurers wish they were born with,” he ended with.

Mulling that over, she realized he was essentially making her second-in-command. “And what’s that, sir?” She asked without prompting, certain she could guess his more mischievous moods now. He wanted her to prod, likely to set up another joke—

“Common sense,” he deadpanned.

She choked on nothing.

The other two recruits looked torn between being offended and laughing their asses off. They inevitably started howling in laughter.

Still locked in her staring contest with the Warrior—their Commander, making those ridiculous eyebrows at her, the Hyur managed to choke out, “Permission to lose my shit for now, sir?”

“Knock yourself out, kid.”

So, yeah, the Flame recruits, now the first Flame Squad of the Warrior of Light, knew their Commander looked like he had no idea how to dress for battle.

Or for teaching.

Or for anything outside of a funeral at a strip club...

But Um’bra Lumen ~~is a terrible dresser~~ uses his looks as a weapon, and teaches them to do the same.

**Author's Note:**

> Eyo, you made it to the end! Thanks yo, it means a lot. I kinda just want to get my angst out there so i dont explode while waiting for the next FF14 Patch...
> 
> So... uh... drink water and stay safe, yall.  
> Thanks again <3!


End file.
